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Troki

Trakai
City
Bridge and Castle of Trakai
Bridge and Castle of Trakai
Coat of arms of Trakai
Coat of arms
Trakai is located in Lithuania
Trakai
Trakai
Location of Trakai
Coordinates: 54°38′0″N 24°56′0″E / 54.63333°N 24.93333°E / 54.63333; 24.93333Coordinates: 54°38′0″N 24°56′0″E / 54.63333°N 24.93333°E / 54.63333; 24.93333
Country  Lithuania
Ethnographic region Dzūkija
County Vilnius County
Municipality Trakai district municipality
Eldership Trakai eldership
Capital of Trakai district municipality
Trakai eldership
First mentioned 1337
Granted city rights 1409
Population (2010)
 • Total 5,266
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Trakai (About this sound Trakai ) (see names section for alternate and historic names) is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 kilometres (17 miles) west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. Trakai is the administrative centre of Trakai district municipality. The town covers 497.1 square kilometres (191.9 square miles) of area and, according to 2007 estimates, is inhabited by 5,357 people. A notable feature of Trakai is that the town was built and preserved by people of different nationalities. Historically, communities of Karaims, Tatars, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews and Poles lived here.

The name of the town was first recorded in chronicles from 1337 in German as Tracken (later also used spelling Traken) and is derived from the Lithuanian word trakai (singular: trakas meaning a glade). Since the time of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the city was known as Troki in Polish. Its other alternate names include Trok (Yiddish), Troky, and Traki.

The majority of Trakai's inhabitants (66.5%) are Lithuanian, although the town also has a substantial Polish minority (19%), as well as Russians (8.87%). The city has a significant Karaite population.


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